


'Gotten'

by GretchenSinister



Series: My Top 20 Short Gen Fics [1]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 05:02:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17400524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GretchenSinister/pseuds/GretchenSinister
Summary: Original Prompt: "As it turns out, Pitch is really good with kids when he’s not terrorising them. Better with them than most of the Guardians, in fact. The guardians find this out and react to it.Bonus points for- Bringing in book!verse canon (Pitch’s daughter) for an explanation- Bunny being absolutely horrified"Pitch’s center is fear, but he has other functions. After a few centuries of ‘getting’ kids, he’s learned a few things.





	'Gotten'

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published on Tumblr 7/19/2013.

“Goodnight, Anna,” Pitch says to a five-year-old girl as he tucks her into one of several beds in a large room his realm. “And remember, you can always come get me if you need anything during the night. I don’t sleep, after all.” He grins and she giggles. “Just knock on the space under your bed.”  
  
He turns to the Guardians, who have been standing to one side of the dormitory as he said goodnight to all the kids. They are all staring at him with various expressions of disbelief, except for Sandy, who is smiling. “Sandy,” he says softly, “stop that at once. Considering the beating you gave me recently I would expect you to be the most surprised”  
  
Sandy begins to explain, but Pitch waves his hand through his symbols. “Yes, yes, very well. If you don’t need an explanation, I suppose you can give them dreams. You know what this situation is, though?” Sandy nods and waves him off.  
  
“Pitch—Sandy may not need an explanation, but I do!” Bunny says—perhaps a bit too loudly, as both Pitch and Sandy make shushing motions at him. “What is all this?”  
  
Pitch rolls his eyes. “Follow me. I don’t want to wake anyone.”  
  
Soon, Pitch and the other Guardians, minus Sandy, are standing around Pitch’s study. “Well?” he asks. “I assume you had a reason to come down here in the first place?”  
  
“Yes,” says North, “but that is not seeming so important right now. Why is your lair full of children? And—happy children?”  
  
“They’re not  _really_  here,” Pitch says, as if this should be obvious. “What a logistical nightmare that would be! And those are a type I try to avoid. They’re just sort of dream-forms. They sleep while they’re awake in the real world, and while they’re asleep they’re here. And they’re here because I’m making good on their parents’ threats. I’ve ‘gotten’ them.”  
  
“How long have you been doing this?” Tooth asks. “And—seriously—how—I mean, I scared Sophie when I met her and I wasn’t  _trying_ , it’s not my  _job_ …”  
  
Pitch laughs. “Really? Oh, I wish I could have seen that! Anyway,” he continues, his tone becoming businesslike, “I don’t actually know how long I’ve been doing this. A long time. Probably longer than you three,” he gestures at North, Tooth, and Bunny, “had been ignoring children.” He tilts his head towards Jack. “Your situation of course was different.”  
  
“Look, can you just give us a straightforward explanation?” Bunny folds his arms. “You haven’t told us anything that makes sense so far.”  
  
“Touchy, touchy.” Pitch begins to walk about the room. “Obviously, you know my center is fear. However, I do have other functions. You ought to know, rabbit. Hope and painting eggs are not automatically correlated with each other.  
  
“For me, one of my functions is to ‘get’ naughty children. A long time ago, I think I punished them, but that was before I realized they were getting more than enough punishment in reality, usually. So out of curiosity, I started listening to them. They really do have a lot to say, if you have time. And I did and do. And, well—look. I don’t think it’s that strange! My realm is incredibly safe, even if it doesn’t appear so, I never ask them to be anything other than what they are, I listen, I don’t get upset over trivial things—I’m the boogeyman, after all! They don’t scare me, I’ve done worse, I know what monsters really are and they don’t include children who accidentally drop plates or finally decide to fight back against bullies.”  
  
“Do they wake up better behaved?” North asks, still looking slightly puzzled.  
  
“I neither know nor care,” Pitch answers. “That’s not in the parent threat-bargain. But I think they usually return less anxious. Junk food, I know, but,” he shrugs, “sometimes I just can’t avoid it.”  
  
“What was last Easter all about then, if you had this job?” Bunny asks.  
  
“Bunny. I was bored. Also it occurred to me that it was kind of strange that three Guardians of Childhood hadn’t interacted with children in a very long time. And MiM thought so too. I may have started to alter the situation before he wanted, and used very different methods…but that’s not the point. The point is…”  
  
Sandy, who had slipped into the room unnoticed, winks at Pitch and forms a dreamsand dolphin over his head.  
  
“What? No, the point is not dolphins. The point is that I was tired of spending more time doing my enemies’ real job than they were.” He looks around at the Guardians. “Is that clear now? Are we done?”  
  
North nods thoughtfully. “For now. But you should come to next Guardian meeting. Will send Sandy to get you for it. Then you cannot avoid. Sounds like you should be attending.”  
  
“What! No, wait! Don’t I have a say—” North opens a portal despite Pitch’s protests, and he and the others leave, Sandy waving cheerily at Pitch before it closes.  
  
“Fine then,” Pitch mutters. “But I’m not teaching you how to babysit.”


End file.
